1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical portal for accessing underlying body tissue to permit the introduction of surgical objects in conjunction with a medical procedure. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical portal including a centering mechanism for facilitating the alignment of a surgical instrument with an axis of the surgical portal, to thereby assist in the maintenance of the seal about the instrument and/or the minimize lateral movement of the instrument within the portal.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Surgical portals are employed in various minimally invasive procedures including laparoscopic or endoscopic procedures. Such portals are inclusive of trocar cannulas, catheters, or, in the event of a minimally invasive hand assist procedures, hand access devices. Surgical portals typically incorporate a seal mechanism to form a fluid tight seal about an instrument or hand passed through the portal. The seal mechanisms, however, often are limited by their ability to sustain a seal when an instrument, particularly, a smaller diameter instrument, is moved off-axis relative to a central axis of the portal. Moreover, the seal mechanisms are also limited by their ability to sustain their integrity when the surgical instrument is angulated. Such extreme ranges of motion of smaller diameter surgical instruments within the portal can create a “cat eye” or crescent shaped gap about the instrument resulting in fluid loss (e.g., insufflation gas loss).